60th wedding anniversary celebration becomes a family pilgrimage

Verna Jean McBain and Leslie Eric Stovold were married in the Chalmers-Wesley United Church on rue Sainte-Ursule on July 7, 1951. To mark their 60th anniversary – and at the request of their 14 grandchildren – the Stovolds and 30 family members returned to Quebec City so the younger generation could find out more about the background and heritage of their grandparents. The Stovold clan, including Verna’s 92-year-old sister Melba, spent the week of June 13 touring Quebec City and environs by bus. They camped at the KOA Kampground and met up each day at 7:30 for breakfast before setting off to explore places like Valcartier and Trois-Rivieres – and of course to enjoy the region’s fine dining. Verna and Eric showed the family the church they were married in, the high school they attended, and the houses they lived in. Verna and Eric were both born and raised in Quebec . They were high school sweethearts while attending Quebec High School and Eric was a Chronicle-Telegraph paperboy in 1943 and 1944 with a daily route of 70 homes. After their marriage they lived in Quebec City and Trois-Rivieres, where three of their children were born, until Eric was transferred to Ontario in 1960.